Inquiries by Pittsburgh's Action News 4 about the inventory were prompted by the missing items reported by the mayor's office, just days after the new administration moved in.

Peduto reported missing items from the former Ravenstahl administration, including an antique clock, a trophy and a vase -- to the FBI. He said the total cost was about $200,000 in missing and damaged items that belong to the public.

After Action News Investigates filed a records request for the city's annual inventory, we learned it hasn't existed for several years.

Former City Controller Tom Flaherty said items were tagged during his 22 years in office.And yet, there's nothing to show for it today.

If you take a look at property items around the City-County Building, you'll see many items don't have an inventory tag. If they do, it's from years ago and the barcodes are part of a system that's disappeared.

The bottom line is, when items aren't tagged, they're not tracked, leading to possible theft, taxpayer dollars wasted and problems with filing insurance claims.

"What it is, is a disregard for the details," said City Councilman Dan Gilman.

Reporter: "How do we know those items were missing if they were never tracked?"

Peduto: "It's only by eyeball inspection of what had been there, then by being told by previous mayor's employees ..."

The missing clock later turned up inside an empty office space inside the City-County Building, but officials did not say which room.

Peduto said his administration has started to inventory new purchases, but expects it to take at least a year. He notes the previous administration was not held accountable.

"The controller should have caught that. That would actually fall under the auditing of departments," said Peduto.

According to the City Charter, "the executive branch shall conduct and maintain an annual inventory of all city property which shall be readily accessible to all units of government."

According to city documents, City Controller Michael Lamb is responsible for conducting "at least once each fiscal year an audit of the annual inventory required by the charter and to submit a verified report of the audit to council and the mayor."

Reporter: "What do you say to those who say that you as the controller are responsible because you do the audits?"

Lamb: "Fact is, we would love to do the audits. We can't audit what doesn't exist, and our role is very clear here. Our role is to audit the inventory."

The city's Home Rule Charter lists several duties of the controller, including "to inspect, revise and prescribe the form of reports and accounts of council, all units of government and trusts ..." and "... all agencies, trusts and units of government shall comply in a timely manner to requests from the Controller's Office for financial records, statements and any other information required to complete the audit."

Lamb said the previous administration ignored their requests. He notes a few departments do maintain their inventory but there's no centralized system in the city.

Among the items not tracked at all: anything under $5,000, art work and memorabilia. Even office furniture adds up. In the past few years, the city has spent nearly $400,000.

"While we are spending money, five years down the line we have something that has some value, but no idea where it is or what it's used for, or what it's value is," said Lamb.

But state Rep. John Maher of Upper Saint Clair, who is a former auditor, said documenting smaller-priced items doesn't always make sense.

"Folks started realizing it cost a lot of money and a lot of time to undertake that procedure," said Maher.

That's not the case in Washington County.

"We have an inventory tag here on this file cabinet," said Washington County Controller Michael Namie, who pointed out cabinets along a stretch in the controller's office area.

Washington County tags nearly everything worth more than $100. Right now, they have 50,000 tagged items in their system.

Plus, they routinely use a transfer system to move items among offices -- skipping unnecessary purchases and saving thousands in the process.

"Cents add up to dollars," said Namie.

When Pittsburgh's Action News 4 told Lamb about Washington County's system, he said that's the kind of accountability Pittsburgh is aiming toward. While he said the former administration neglected doing an inventory, he said this office isn't keeping up with its timetable.

"The fact is it's not being done because they don't have the capability to get it done and we are now providing them with the capability, but they're not implementing that capability," said Lamb.

Lamb said he plans to talk to the mayor's office to get the ball rolling on the new financial management system's final phase -- inventory control.

The move to check inventory will likely help boost the number of surplus items in an upcoming online action.

Gilman is moving forward with an online auction idea, initially sponsored as a resolution by then-councilman Peduto several years ago, to sell items the city isn't using through an online auction company.

The effort could help rake in thousands of dollars and bids for proposals will be put out later this year, Gilman said.

ONLY ON 4, YOU REMEMBER THOSE MISSING ITEMS FROM THE MAYOR'S OFFICE. WE WANTED NO KNOW WHAT ELSE MAY HAVE DISAPPEARED. IT TURNS OUT NOBODY IS KEEPING TRACK. PITTSBURGH ACTION NEWS 4 REPORTER JOINS US NOW. YOU'RE SAYING THEY HAVE BEEN OPERATING THIS WAY FOR SEVERAL YEARS? Reporter: THAT'S RIGHT. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT BASIC RECORDKEEPING THAT TAXPAYERS EXPECT OF GOVERNMENT. THEY SAY ITEMS WERE TAGGED DURING HIS YEARS IN OFFICE AND THERE'S NOTHING TO SHOW FOR IT. EVEN THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION AGREES THIS LACK OF AN INVENTORY CREATES AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THIEVES AND CHANGE IS NEEDED. LEAVE IT TO ACTION NEWS INVESTIGATES TO SEARCH UNDER THE SURFACE. NONE HERE. Reporter: FOR ANSWERS. WE TOOK A TRIP AROUND THE CITY COUNTY BUILDING EYEING PROPERTY TAXPAYERS PAID FOR LIKE THESE WITH NO INVENTORY TAGS. WE SPOTTED SOME ANCIENT TAGS BUT THAT BAR CODE IS PART OF A SYSTEM THAT'S DISAPPEARED. HERE IS THE BOTTOM LINE. WHEN ITEMS AREN'T TAGGED THEY'RE NOT TRACKED LEADING TO POSSIBLE THEFT, TAXPAYER DOLLARS WASTED AND PROBLEMS WITH FILING INSURANCE CLAIMS. IT'S A DISREGARD FOR THE DETAILS. Reporter: AFTER WE FILED THE RECORDS REQUEST FOR THE CITY'S ANNUAL INVENTORY WE LEARNED IT DOESN'T EXIST EVEN THOUGH THE CITY'S OWN CHARTER REQUIRES THE MAYOR'S OFFICE TO DO IT. THIS INCIDENT PROMPTED OUR REQUEST. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT NEARLY $200,000 IN MISSING AND DAMAGED PROPERTY THAT BELONGS TO THE PUBLIC. Reporter: YOU MAY RECALL THE MEDIA FRENZY WHEN THE MAYOR REPORTED MISSING ITEMS FROM THE FO FORMER RAVENSTAHL ADMINISTRATION. IT'S ONLY BY EYES AND TRACK. Reporter: THE CLOCK LATER TURNED UP INSIDE AN EMPTY OFFICE SPACE INSIDE THIS SAME BUILDING. PEDUTO SAYS HIS ADMINISTRATION HAS STARTED TO INVENTORY BUT EXPECTS IT TO TAKE A YEAR. HE KNOWS THE PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION WAS NOT HELD ACCOUNTABLE. IT COULD FALL UNDER THE AUDITING OF DEPARTMENTS. WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THOSE WHO SAY THAT YOU AS THE CONTROLLER IS RESPONSIBLE BECAUSE YOU DO THE AUDIT? WE LOVE TO DO THE AUDIT. WE CAN'T AUDIT WHAT DOESN'T EXIST. OUR ROLE IS VERY CLEAR HERE. Reporter: THE PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION IGNORED THEIR REQUEST. HE KNOWS A FEW DEPARTMENTS DO MAINTAIN THEIR INVENTORY BUT THERE'S NO CENTRALIZED SYSTEM IN THE CITY. AMONG THE ITEMS NOT TRACKED AT ALL ANYTHING UNDER $5,000, ART WORK AND MEMORABILIA CITY WIDE. EVEN OFFICE FURNITURE ADDS UP. IN THE PAST FEW YEARS WE LEARNED THE CITY HAS SPENT NEARLY $400,000. AGAIN, THE PROBLEM. WHILE WE'RE SPENDING MONEY, FIVE YEARS DOWN THE LINE WE HAVE SOMETHING THAT HAS SOME VALUE BUT WE HAVE NO IDEA WHERE IT IS OR WHAT IT'S USED FOR OR WHAT IT'S VALUE IS. Reporter: STATE REPRESENTATIVE JOHN MAHR SAYS DOCUMENTING SMALLER PRICED ITEMS DOESN'T ALWAYS MAKE SENSE. FOLKS STARTED REALIZING IT COSTS A LOT OF MONEY AND TIME TO UNDERTAKE THAT PROCEDURE. Reporter: THAT'S NOT THE CASE IN WASHINGTON COUNTY. WE HAVE THE INVENTORY TAG IN WASHINGTON COUNTY. Reporter: THEY TAG NEARLY EVERYTHING THAT'S MORE THAN $100. RIGHT NOW THEY HAVE 50,000 TAGGED ITEMS IN THEIR SYSTEM. THERE COULD BE TAG ON THIS. Reporter: PLUS THEY ROUTINELY USE A TRANSFER SYSTEM TO MOVE ITEMS AMONG ITEM, SKIPPING UNNECESSARY PURCHASES AND SAVING THOUSANDS IN THE PROCESS. WE TOLD LAMB ABOUT WASHINGTON COUNTY SYSTEM. HE SAID THAT'S THE KIND OF ACCOUNTABILITY PITTSBURGH IS AIMING FOR. HE SAYS THIS OFFICE ISN'T KEEPING UP WITH THEIR TIMETABLE. IT'S NOT BEING DONE BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE THE CAPABILITY TO GET IT DONE. WE'RE PROVIDING IT BUT THEY'RE NOT IMPLEMENTING IT. Reporter: THEY EXPECT TO HAVE A REPORT BY THE END OF THE YEAR. LAMB PLANS TO TALK TO THE MAYOR'S OFFICE TO GET THE BALL ROLLING FASTER. WE'LL BE KEEPING OUR EYE ON ALL OF IT. HOW ABOUT GETTING RID OF SOME OF THE OLDER ITEMS. WILL THAT HELP THE CITY? Reporter: ABSOLUTELY. TAGGING WILL HELP REDUCE SURPLUS ITEMS. THE CITY PLANS TO START TAKING